1. Technical Field
This invention relates to shields for surveilling and more specifically to light-weight portable reflective shields for surveillance of people, game and/or targets.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ability to secretly approach a target without detection or to otherwise operate surveillance of prey without being noticed has long been a desire of hunters, soldiers, spies, and law enforcement authorities for ages. It is not uncommon to use shields as protective devices in combat or for sneaking up on prey. Typical hunting or combat shields, however, are generally readily visible to the combatant or prey. With a typical shield it is often difficult to sneak up on a target since the shield is visible and draws attention. Other common camouflage attempts for use in surveillance or stalking include use of specially colored clothing, face paints, or props to simulate the surrounding or background environment to lessen the chances of detection. The particulars of the environment, however, change from place to place and therefore typical camouflage clothing and props lack the flexibility desired for ease of use from place to place.
There are some examples of the use of mirror technology in hunting applications, such as in creating stationary hunting blinds for placement in the woods. Examples of such hunting blinds include those as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,960, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,863. With such blinds, the hunter positions himself behind a mirror or wall of mirrors so the game does not readily distinguish the hunter, instead viewing the reflection of the terrain immediately adjacent the mirror. Motions before the mirror, such as those caused by wind blowing leaves or branches, blend into the overall view pattern such that game are not spooked by the natural looking environment. Hunters may then experience the benefit of oncoming game for improved hunting success. Such stationary devices, however, have limitations that make their use limited, unworkable or undesirable. Such stationary devices are often too large or bulky to use to secretly approach a target or for general surveillance techniques. They are also awkward to pack, store, operate, and transport from place to place, and lack important features that assist or provide the user with a wide range of tactics and flexible options for efficiently adapting to the environment and overall surveillance.
Accordingly, there is a need and desire to overcome these and other limitations of the mirror technology. There is a further desire to present a lightweight portable mirrored surveillance shield that can be carried by a single user while secretly walking upon a target and simultaneously peering through the shield.
There is a further desire to present a surveillance shield having at least two mirrored panels detachably connected in a vertical relationship, and where the shield includes a handle for assisting in angling the shield to better reflect images. Satisfaction of these needs and other items is made possible by the present invention which will become apparent in light of the present specification.